Electric-bike forerunner Energica rolls into MY2023 with an all-new-from-the-ground-up Sport-Tourer/ADV bike, the Experia. New batteries and motor allow the longest range yet in its lineup. Aerodynamic bodywork and a tall windscreen lend the rider plenty of protection from the elements. Stock luggage completes the touring/commuting/grocery-getting goodies.
Energica wasn’t bashful about adding ride-quality goodies to their new tour bike. Traction control works through the eABS feature that adds its cornering component.
The Riding Modes on the Experia are extensive. You can run with four factory preset profiles or choose from three slots for your own custom profiles to dial in for the prevailing conditions. The regenerative braking comes with three modes of recovery and “Off.” Cruise control wraps up the electronics suite for effortless cruising.
The beating heart is a mouthful. It’s a 306 Volt Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motor. Since it’s arranged as a counter-rotating element, it cancels out some of its own inertia to pull the front wheel down for improved traction.
The battery and motor are both of the most recent generation so they are lighter and placed lower in the frame for a low-down center of gravity. These settings make the Experia eager in the curves and easy to flick.
For power, the numbers are impressive. The Energica Experia produces 80 continuous horsepower and 85 pound-feet of torque. It’s capable of burst output at 102 horsepower for short distances. There’s no clutch or shifter, just twist-and-go operation with an Energica Experia top speed of 112 mph, governed.
A stock Park Assistant feature lets you ooch forward or back slowly for controlled parking lot maneuvers. This frees you from the need to make sure you park with your head uphill.
At city speeds, the battery has enough juice for up to 261 miles, which is amazing when compared to batteries from just one generation ago. These are the kind of metrics that we need for EV bikes to become mainstream.
I’m guessing they are calling highway/interstate travel “extra-urban.” Range drops to a meager 130 miles, which admittedly, is probably more than enough for most commutes and grocery trips. If you can plug in while at work, all the better.
A lithium polymer battery delivers up to 1,200 cycles at up to 22.5 kWh. If you have access to a level 3 charging station, you can slam an 80-percent charge into the battery in a mere 40 minutes. The Slow Charge trickle charges at a rate of 39.5 miles worth of power per hour, which is more for plugging up at the office or at home for an overnight charge.
The factory bills the Experia as a sport-tourer. However, the fairing architecture, windshield shape, and faux fuel tank hump make the Experia look right at home next to other major street-centric adventure-bike models from around the world.
No matter how you classify it, this bike heralds a new era in EV-bike development by putting touring on the menu, though I expect this bike will actually net a generous slice of the urban-commuter crowd as well. I know that’s how I’d use it.
A thoroughly modern machine, the Experia leads off with the usual dual-purpose front fender. It contains the fling while the uprights serve as little spoilers for the exposed inner fork tubes on the usd forks.
An engine cowling and chin fairing form that distinctive sportbike scoop. It shrouds the cooler grilles that completely dominate the front of what would normally be the engine compartment area.
The windscreen is adjustable and vented so you can dial it in for preference and benefit from the lowered head-buffet effect. Behind the glass, there are not one but two USB ports and a waterproof glove box that sports two more ports so you can securely charge your devices underway.
A five-inch color TFT display handles both the instrumental metrics and the ride-control electronics, so the rider interface acts as a one-stop shop for your gaze. This lets you absorb all of the pertinent information and get your eyes back on the road ahead where they belong right sharpish.
Energica goes to great lengths to blend in with the crowd. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the faux fuel-tank hump that adds to the adventure-bike vibe this sport-tourer exudes.
The Experia comes riding-partner-ready with a wide pillion pad, fold-up footpegs, and a top case as a backrest to accommodate your companion. The huge top case and large side cases add a whopping 29.5 gallons (112 liters) of secure dry storage to make this a capable platform no matter how you use it.
A tubular-steel Trellis serves as the main structure. The cast-aluminum swingarm mounts to aluminum side plates to help keep both sprung and unsprung weight down in the pursuit of efficiency.
Sachs provides the suspension at both ends with 43 mm usd front forks and rear monoshock. Both turn in 5.9 inches (150 mm) of travel, which is pretty plush for a road bike. The front rocks the full trinity of adjustments, but the rear only comes with adjustable spring-preload and rebound-damping features.
Symmetrical 17-inch wheels certainly look more like a sport-bike-like feature. They come lined with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II hoops in a 120/70 ahead of a 180/55 with a street-style tread.
Energica recognizes the potential of this machine, as evidenced by the massive 330 mm front brake discs and their corresponding four-bore calipers. The rear brake is typical with its 240 mm disc and twin-piston anchor.
The ABS, however, is anything but typical. The Bosch Cornering ABS 9.3 MP rides as part of the standard equipment package for the extra layer of protection due to the lean-sensitive nature of the system.
The colorway is mainly monochromatic with grays over black with red accents, and that’s the only package for now. The 2023 Energica Experia costs $25,880. At the time of this writing, the factory was still taking pre-orders for this model. If you’re looking for an Energica Experia for sale, it won’t be on showroom floors until fall.
Energica’s Experia finds itself in rare company indeed, and I don’t think there’s anything that can meet it point-for-point quite like the Zero SR/S. But it’s a supersport, you say? Bear with me.
At its core the Experia is a sport machine. The only difference is that the SR/S embraces its sportbike genetics while the Experia blurs the line between sport-touring and street-centric adventure-bikes proper. However, the Zero has the benefit of a full line of accessories, among them a top case and panniers for the SR/S, so you could set up the Zero in much the same way as far as cargo capacity.
You won’t get as much protection on the Zero – another trade-off for the sportier looks – so the SR/S slips a bit in the comfort category. The SR/S can only pack up to 17.3 kWh in its batteries in a concession to Energica with a max range of 227 miles, but only if you pony up for the Power Tank with the Extended Range Charging Cypher Upgrade feature.
In the standard configuration, the Zero only claims 156 miles in the city to leave the Experia with a much longer range-per-charge ratio. The new software lets the SR/S charge to 95 percent in four hours and 100 percent in 4.5 hours with the onboard 3 kWh charger.
Fully adjustable suspension lets you dial in the full trifecta at both ends of the Zero for a slim advantage. Top speed is a claimed 110 mph sustained, or 124 mph burst speed, more-or-less right with Energica.
The Zero puts out a crushing 140 pound-feet of torque against 85 pounds o’ grunt from the Experia for a significant torque advantage. The stock SR/S rolls for $20,595, just don’t forget you’ll have to skin that checkbook again for the top case and panniers necessary to equalize the utility differential you have with the stock Zero.
“This new bike is really a mixed bag. I think it would make a dandy commuter and errand-runner in most areas, and it’s plenty fast enough to be loads of fun. Don’t forget that as an electric bike, all of that available torque is available as soon as you “crack the throttle” as it were, and this makes for some decidedly decisive holeshots and suitably surprise surrounding traffic.”
My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “Electric bikes are advancing, but aren’t there yet for range and recharge times. However, the advancements on the Experia are trending in the right direction. Weight-wise, it’s right on par with smoker adventure bikes and that weight is carried low, so handling should be familiar to the genre. While recharge times are impressive to date, it’s still a barrier to true adventure riding and that’s even if you can find a suitable recharge station every hundred miles or so.”
“All that aside, the Experia looks like a nice bike. I wonder how those range times vary under the weight of pilot, passenger, and full storage compartments.”
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